The international study, published in Science, traces termite evolution back to ordinary cockroaches – including the ancestors of modern ’domestic’ cockroaches – that began feeding on dead wood. This dietary shift triggered a cascade of genetic and social changes that eventually produced termites and their highly organised colonies.
The study was an international collaboration with researchers from China, Denmark, and Colombia.
“Termites evolved from cockroach ancestors that started living inside and eating wood,” said Professor Nathan Lo from the University of Sydney’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences, a senior author on the paper. “Our study shows how their DNA changed first as they specialised on this poor-quality diet and then changed again as they became social insects.”